Saturday, June 6, 2015

A time to TC and a time not to TC!

We
travel a lot. Recently, after a long journey, we returned to our always
awaiting stack of mail, most of it junk. While sifting and sorting, imagine our
complete and utter surprise as we pulled the FINAL edition of Priority magazine
out of the ever burgeoning pile. We had no idea!

As
you can imagine, my emotions are running high right now as I write, having just
read through the FINAL edition. During those initial years, the creation
of Priority! was all consuming with me, something I was very passionate about.
I think I spent more time down in Linda's office, than in my own. And then,
into retirement, watching it take on an ever expanding "life of its
own" was thrilling and satisfying indeed. The “Letters to the Editor"
speak volumes.

Had
I known, I would have written a letter to the editor myself for this edition.
It would have read something like this:

God's
timing is always perfect. It was a small staff in the Publications Department:
Linda Johnson, Warren Maye, Bob Mitchell and Peter Hanke - a perfect team, each
with a commitment and set of gifts second to none. Linda caught the vision
immediately, brilliantly pulling it all together for me, even with my
constantly breathing down her neck. Thank you Linda and team for 15
groundbreaking years of excellence!

A
time for everything? "A time to move on?" Perhaps.
Obviously, I was not part of the discussion leading to this decision, so not
privy to the complete rationale for the demise of Priority! Were I there, would
I have done it differently? Perhaps. Maybe I’d add an Internet, interactive
version, along with the creation of Priority.tv. But alas, I'm no longer there.
And besides, as it so clearly says in Ecclesiastes (paraphrased): “A time for
everything under the sun, a time to TC and a time not to TC!

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Dear Commissioner Noland,

I'm every bit as sad as you are that Priority! went down the tubes when it's popularity was at its zenith. I was a freelancer for the magazine since I first discovered it in 2007 and loved every minute of writing for it! Of course, since you were the creator of the idea that became reality in 1999, and put together an excellent staff led by Linda Johnson, I suppose your grief is even more marked than mine. I noticed that Commissioner Bob Thomson, in his letter to the editor in the commemorative issue, also wasn't one bit happy with the decision, though he very diplomatically said so in the nicest possible way! Had you known about the magazine's demise sooner, you probably would've done the same.

Though I can't say for sure why the present TC discontinued its production, since all things do yield to economics (and the present TC was/is a left brain business major and not necessarily a right brained, creative, global minded person such as yourself, Moretz and Gaither, etc.) I suspect, that it probably had something to do with the fact, that USA Eastern was paying for all the bills. This was so, even though Priority! had become sort of an unofficial National publication from 2004 onward, when it was approved to be so, by the Commissioner's Conference. What it all comes down to is the old adage in TSA about "whatever the pharaoh wants."

A parallel (though not a perfect parallel) to it in Army history, might be the Limelight project in Australia which under Herbert Booth, was started in 1899, making TSA a forerunner in the movie industry (at least in Australia!) God only knows for sure where it could've gone and what influence it might have made on the Xian and non-Xian world had it continued. However, when a Commissoner Hays became TC in 2010, he felt that movies were too "wordly" and scrapped the whole project.

I want you to know that I had about a gazillion ideas for future articles rolling around in my head. One that I was hoping to do this year, was about you and your wife Doris, as cadets in the Proclaimers of the Faith Session in San Francisco (1963-1965)starting the Salvation Singers which was at the time, sort of America's answer to the Joystrings! I thought for sure that it would make a fantastic historical piece for the back page. I still recall reading about it in a full length article in the War Cry back in 1964.

One would hope that USA National would bring Priority! back as a national publication, but then one supposes it would just be seen as competition for the War Cry. Although the War Cry has become an excellent publication in recent years, it still can't do what Priority! did because it's scope and focus is wider than Priority's. Priority was mainly about personal testimonies up to 1600 words with a sidebar. It captivated people who read it in a way that the War Cry, with much smaller testimony articles could never do. Like you Commissioner, I (and many, many others who've told me so) are sure going to miss Priority! Sad day.

Daryl LachUSA Central

P.S. "You Must Go Home By the Way of the Cross, To Stand With Jesus In the Morning!"

Why do salvationists always hark back to the past ALL the time? Most people who publish articles for the Army look back with nostalgia for the 'good old days' - if I were a betting person I'd bet that the current 'Boundless' congress will have more than its fair share of historical events, with people dressing up in old uniforms and re-enacting what happened 150 years ago as if it were the present. Is it because there is no vision or excitement for the future? The present state of Army affairs is hardly inspiring.

Oh, YOU again. Get out the black crepe paper and start hanging it all over the place everybody: The short of it is that people look back because it gives them a sense of continuity. The whole Bible for instance, is the story of salvation history. Many (though certainly not all)Xians in the Third Reich apparently had a Xianity that was devoid of knowing too terribly much about the Hebrew Testament and it's place in the saga of Salvation History. Of course, the world now has the legacy of the Holocaust along with the shame of other atrocities toward the Jews because so many Xians had forgotten the historical foundation that Xianity was built upon. They instead preferred to think in terms of prejudices and stereotypes about Jews, that had been built up during the many centuries.

Maybe you should attend one of the re-enactments at Boundless anonymous, and get a better sense of SA history. It might help turn you into a much more upbeat person. I gotta get to bed now, before I conk out and wind up sleeping all afternoon across my keyboard.

Daryl LachUSA Central

"You Must Go Home By the Way of the Cross, To Stand With Jesus In the Morning!"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

TEN YEARS OF DISCUSSION

With the advent of the internet, blog-sites and websites like that of the "Former Salvation Army Officers' Fellowship" and the now defunct "Rubicon" have provided unofficial but influ­ential opportunities for free discussion. An officially-sponsored discussion forum on the IHQ website seemed to attract limited participation however.

THE RUSSIAN SA CREST 1913

Cross and Cultural sensitivity in early SA entry to Russia

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Commissioner Joe Noland

Commissioner Joe Noland

As a retired Salvation Army officer, in some ways I feel like a former officer. And as a retired Commissioner, I probably get more respect than others, but believe me there are lots of similarities between “ former” and “sent out to pasture”. I'll not bore you with the parallels, except to say that since being “pasteurized” my understanding and empathy has increased greatly.

This said to plug a blog site for former Salvation Army officers, www.fsaof.blogspot.com. I drop in periodically because the well-written posts and discussion following helps me keep everything in perspective. I would recommend the same for every not yet yet pasteurized leader because your day is coming soon considering the age at which most top leaders are appointed, but more importantly because the insight gained there will provide proper balance to your personnel related decision making during the interim.

Thank you!

A blessing every day - OWL said... Your Advent season posts by Elizabeth and Howard are a special gift that words can't describe nor can I express enough thanks. They brought a new appreciation of God's intended plan for me and all men. And thank you to you too John, our resident Pastor. There is no Salvation Army site anywhere that so completely shares the Christmas narrative. God bless you all, Former SA Missionary 25 December, 2014

The Salvation Army must not become so much of a middle-class movement that it forgets 'the rock whence it is hewn'. It is called to proclaim salvation to all classes, but its special glory should be its concern for and its ability to appeal to the lowest and most forgotten, and to be their champion in every respect.

Followers

UPDATE! 62% of the FSAOF blog visitors rate it as their #1 site for SA content and relevance!

Why do many Salvation Army officers, when they resign, no longer persist in “proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”, ...

SA TODAY

WE NEED OFFICERS

Officers are not better than anybody else – we need to be clear about that. Officership by its nature is about availability and mobility. In a worldwide Salvation Army we need people who are prepared to serve anywhere and be of service to the cause of Christ, with all their gifts. We need people who are available. So the more officers the better! We need officers who see this not as a profession in a secular sense but as sacrificial service. General Lina Bond: "Officership needs to underscore sacrifice."

WELCOME!

Each week about ten thousand visitors will read this blog; 1,600,000 to date. Most of the articles are written by former SA officers. We pray that those who pause and visit this site may in some small way be challenged, comforted, and moved to reflect beyond the worldly norm. The blog serves too to inform friends and family of what we 'formers' are thinking and doing as we serve in our current chosen and assigned vocational settings.

From LONDON; ACTIVE OFFICER

Just wanted to write and say thanks for your efforts for former Salvation Army officers. Looking down the list of members on the blog I realise that there are many familiar faces and names. At the end of the day, many people are listed, who I still love and respect and who shouldn't have been put in a position where they have become former SA Officers. Anything which can harness the positive contribution they can bring and bring some care and support in what is often a very challenging decision, can only be applauded. Well done for doing this.CO UKT

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